Harford County Board of Education Agenda Feb. 24: Inclement Weather Days Decision; New Safety Procedures for Extra-Curricular Activities and Clubs

The Harford County Board of Education plans a business meeting February 24th to include a “special presentation”, along with decisions on inclement weather days and new safety procedures for extra-curricular activities and clubs.

The meeting is set to begin with a “Special Presentation by the Harford County Board of Education” from Board President Nancy Reynolds. No further information was published for this agenda item.

On the consent agenda, the Board will approve a “Decision on Inclement Weather Days”. No additional information was published for this item. However, snow and ice storms have closed schools for a total of nine full days thus far this school year, two more days than the school system had planned. As a result, HCPS must seek and receive a waiver from the state requirement that schools open for a minimum of 180 days, or find ways to make up the extra missed days.

The school system reportedly plans to request the waiver. However, the state education department does not consider such requests until the end of the winter season. Without a waiver, options to make up the necessary days include eliminating scheduled vacation days and extending the school year beyond June 13.

Also on the consent agenda for Monday, the Board will approve the monthly report on personnel who have left the system, are newly employed or on leaves of absence. The complete list appears as a link in the agenda published below.

Last on the consent agenda, the Board will approve a contract expansion with an online tutoring company to include service for homeless students. Educate Online, LLC, of Baltimore already provides some HCPS students in five schools with extended-day online tutoring in reading and math. The requested contract expansion in the amount of $80,000 will serve approximately 80 additional students who are homeless and/or cannot participate in extended-day learning. Included in those services is a company provided mini-laptop with a limited access card that allows students to access tutoring regardless of their location. The original contract plus the expansion will cost an estimated $130,000 per year that is to be funded from Title I grants.

After several cycles of proposed policy revisions, public input, and further reviews, the Board plans a decision Monday to update its policies on extra-curricular activities and clubs. Newly attached to the policies are proposed procedures approved earlier this month by Interim Superintendent Barbara Canavan. The procedures allow for the limited use of power tools by students, and set conditions for volunteers to oversee extra-curricular and club activities.

Parents in the Destination Imagination program objected to procedures implemented earlier this school year preventing them from supervising team activities and barring students from using power tools. Parents and students also requested clarification on what constituted a banned power tool.

The new procedures entitled “Safety Precautions for Extracurricular Activities and Clubs” provide a definition of power tools and specifically allow for the use of vacuum cleaners, pencil sharpeners, lights and flashlights. The following is an excerpt from the proposed procedures; the complete document appears in the link to the agenda item below.

A. “No Extracurricular Team or Club shall use a power tool in the course and scope of its activities except as follows:

B. All Extracurricular Team and Club activities shall be conducted under the supervision and control of the Harford County Public School Team coach; or Club staff sponsor or a volunteer who has been approved by the Team coach or Club staff sponsor to supervise and control a particular activity.

C. All power tools used by any Extracurricular Team or Club shall be owned by Harford County Public Schools”

Next on the agenda, Jean Mantegna, assistant superintendent for human resources, will present the Board with the names of employees recommended for promotion or appointment.

Last but not least, the meeting is set to conclude with a report from Canavan.

The Feburary 24th meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the A.A. Roberty Building in Bel Air. The public comment period is planned for 6:50 p.m. The published agenda appears below; please note that published agendas are subject to change.